Handicapping the Handicappers

A piece of advice that all beginning bettors should take to heart in looking to get started in the wild world of sports betting is to use a handicapping service to learn from. A lot of beginners start out thinking that they know enough about sports and they don’t want to just play another person’s selections but be able to create their own.

To those of you who feel this way, good for you, but if you are getting your foot in the door and want to learn as much as you can about sports betting, and specifically choosing winners, why not spend a season using a handicapping service to help you learn, as well as make some money to boot.

The foundation here is, of course, to find a reputable handicapper. We all know about the “scamdicappers” and touts out there looking to take your money, promising to hit 65 or even 70% winners. Stay away from these people. Once they get your phone number, it’s all over. They will call you constantly, and harass you into buying their ever escalating expensive packages, which coincidentally everyday they come up with a new “High Roller Club” that is only for his VIP clients.

These people are salesman looking to take your money and don’t know anything about picking winners. They employ many scams and will stop at nothing to get you to sign up. If these touts could actually hit 65 or 70% winners, do you think they would really need your money? Absolutely not. Plain and simple no one hits those percentages, and if they could they could make ridiculous amounts of money and wouldn’t need your $2,000 dollars.

These folks are in the business of scamming money. You can read countless horror stories about them on the internet. I figure its better avoiding these people from the get go, rather than learning the hard way. A true handicapper would charge a reasonable amount, enough just to make it worth is while to share his selections with the public, plus if they know what they are talking about they get enough clients that even a reasonable fee leaves them with a healthy bonus to their sports betting incomes.

So a reputable handicapper, do they really exist? The answer is yes. And quite a few exist actually. These are your guys in the trenches, grinding out the profits and winning consistently over the long haul. They don’t claim to hit outrageous winning percentages. These guys employ the proper money management techniques, hit 55-60% over the long haul, and in the end show a healthy profit.

They will help you learn and develop your own handicapping services, because in the end they know that they will win enough that you will stay with them as clients even after you develop skills of your own

I recommend getting into contact with the capper and get a feeling for what kind for person they are. Generally good people do good things and you can get feel for what kind of person you are dealing with by exchanging a few emails. Try to come across a capper that is willing to help you out with your own selections while giving you some insight as to why he makes his plays.

Ask the handicapper going into it if you sign up for his baseball package, would he be willing to help you out with questions and feedback? Find someone who you can trust and follow his selections for awhile, if you like his style of betting lots of games, few games, a play-of-the-day, or rare big play then try him out. If his bet sizes change drastically, that may an indicator that you should look elsewhere.

After tracking picks for a few weeks, send him an email with your proposition. I will buy your package for the rest of the season, if you agree to help me understand the handicapping process better. If the guy is a good person, he will agree and chances are that you will be making some units following his plays AND learning from him along the way, which is what you are after.

Remember for every one hundred handicappers, there are one hundred different styles of handicapping, but with the proper help and guidance you can be pointed in the right direction and develop your own style after learning from someone who is making his living betting on sports.

Getting the Best Number

Every single season gamblers around the world can save themselves so much money by doing one single thing – getting the best number. When betting football, each little half point can make a big difference when you total up wins and losses at the end of the year.

You may find that Bodog EU Sports has a line at -3 and 5Dimes.eu has the same line at -3.5. If you are betting on the favorite, you obviously want to take the -3 line. The opposite is true if you are betting the underdog.

When you are betting football you need to win 52.38% just to break even. What happens though if we can get an extra half point here and there throughout the season? Our percentage increases. If you have an account at only one sportsbook, you have no choice but to either take the line you get, or not bet the game at all.

If you have more than one sportsbook you may be able to get that extra half point, and believe me it matters. Most experts believe getting the extra half point in football increases your chances of winning the bet by 3 or 4 percent. That does not seem like a lot, but how does 56% sound now instead of 52%? That sounds like a winning year to me.

A half point can turn a loss into a push or a push into a win. Getting the extra wins or ties can make a huge difference in your bottom line at the end of the season. I am the expert at losing games by a half point. It seems like every game I bet goes right down to the wire and the half point comes into play. Another thing that you can do to get yourself the extra half point or point, besides line shopping, is knowing when to bet.

Traditionally, if you like the favorite in a game you are best off playing the game early in the week. If you like the underdog your best bet is to wait until game day. Why is that? The reason is that the public loves to play favorites. They jump all over them all week long, continually driving the line higher. If you like the favorite get on them early. If you like the dog, wait until the public drives the line higher.

When talking about half points, line shopping, and getting the best number, we need to remember that it does matter. I am just as guilty as anyone of waiting until the last minute to make my plays and taking the worst number on the board. Learn from my mistakes. Play the favorites early; take the dogs late. Have more than one place to make your bets. Get that extra half point when you can. Pay attention to the line movement and wait until you get the best possible number. It will make a huge difference in your bottom line this season.